Malaysia – country information

Country name	Malaysia
Official name	Malaysia
Capital	Kuala Lumpur
continent	Asia
Area	329,847 km2
Population	30 041 000 (2014)
Foundation of a state	31. 8. 1957
The highest mountains	Kinabalu 4094 m (Sabah)
Longest rivers	Rajang 525 km (Sarawak)
State system	a federal constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Kuala Lumpur (hl. město) 1 425 000, Ipoh 475 000, Pinang 425 000
Official language	malay language
Ethnicity/National Composition	Malays 62%, Chinese 29.5%, Indians 8%
Religious affiliation	Muslim 55%, Buddhist 17%, Chinese folk religions 12%, Hindu 7%, Christian 6%, other 3%
Currency	1 ringgit (Malaysian dollar) (M$) = 100 sen
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$16,794 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	72.50 let (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 16.5%, mining 9%, industry 30.5%, construction 4%, services 40%

Malaysia – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Brunei	Seri Begawan Town	5,765 km	393 162
Indonesia	Jakarta	1,904,570 km	249 866 000
Thailand	Bangkok (Krung Thep)	513 115 km	65 926 261

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Malaysia is a federal state located in the southern part of the Malay Peninsula and in the north of the island of Kalimantan (Borneo), where the states of Sabah and Sarawak are located.

Interesting Facts

Traditional Malaysian art is wood carving, basket weaving and silversmithing.

Malaysia is a relatively safe country. Serious crimes against tourists are rare, but beware of pickpockets. In Kuala Lumpur, transvestites often turn out to be pickpockets, and they choose tourists as victims. In addition, Malaysia has the worst credit card fraud situation in the world.

Malaysian phrasebook

Good morning – selamat pagi.
Good afternoon – selamat petanque.
Good evening – selamat malam.
Please – minta.
Thank you – terima kasi.
Welcome – by yourself.
Yes I.
No – tidak.
Sorry – minta maafkan.
Goodbye – selamat tinggal.
Hello, how are you? – apa kabar.

It is forbidden to import goods, coins or banknotes from Israel, pornography, clothing with texts from the Koran printed on it; radios, meat, mushrooms, seeds, primates and gold over 100 g. The export of wild birds and animals, plants, hevea seeds, antiques, military uniforms, gold over 100 g is prohibited.

Country data

Location: Southeast Asia

Time zone: CET + 7 (during summer time: CET + 6)

Total area: 329,847 km²

Land area: 328,657 km²

Water area: 1,190 km²

Length of the state border: 2,669 km

Bordering countries:
Brunei Darussalam: 381 km
Indonesia: 1,782 km
Thailand: 506 km

Coastline: 4,675 km

Capital: Kuala Lumpur

Regions: 13
Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 60 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Population

Population: approx. 30 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1.5% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 91

Life expectancy: 72 (male), 77 (female)

Official language: Malaysian

Religions:

• 61% Muslim
• 20% Buddhists
• 9% Christians
• 6% Hindu
• 4% other

Climate

Malaysia is located in a tropical climate zone. The daytime temperatures fluctuate between 20 ° C and 33 ° C throughout the year.

The humidity is always very high and is often over 80%.

The rainy season varies greatly from region to region.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)

Classification: 1 ringgit = 100 Sen

ATMs: Available in the major cities.

International credit cards: These are accepted by many larger hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts and the local currency up to an amount of 1,000 ringgit.

There is an obligation to declare (which is taken very seriously) for all of the money carried.

Outside of the big cities, cash payments are almost always the norm.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 225 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

A customs duty is sometimes required for valuable items such as electrical appliances and jewelry. Upon departure, this will be paid back on presentation of the receipt.

For any medication you are taking with you, you should have an English-language certificate from your doctor stating that it is necessary to take it.

Possession and trafficking in drugs (even the smallest amounts) are punished with very long prison sentences, sometimes with death!

Travel advice

Armed rebels are wreaking havoc near the border with the Philippines. For some time now there have been hostages and attacks on foreigners. You should therefore avoid the area.

Behavioral advice

When using boats and ferries, you should pay attention to their safety. Many means of water transport in this country would be classified as unsuitable for driving.

Fresh fruits and vegetables should always be washed thoroughly before consumption.

Economy

Malaysia’s industry has developed very quickly over the past few decades, primarily due to the high level of investment.

Malaysia is a world leader in rubber and tin production.

Industries: chemistry, electronics, oil production, rubber processing, light engineering, tourism, tin processing

Natural resources: bauxite, iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, wood, copper, tin

Land use:

• Usable land: 3%
• Grain cultivation: 12%
• Pasture area: 0%
• Forests: 68%
• other: 17%

Plants

Over half of the country’s area is forested. The humid and warm climate is particularly beneficial for the growth of plants and trees.

Many thousands of flowers and plant species grow all over the country. These include many rare species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth.

Animals

The large forest areas offer many animals an undisturbed and protected habitat.

Monkeys, elephants, rhinos, deer, snakes, pigs and tigers are just a few of the common animals.

There is also a large number of tropical butterflies and birds.